BBC and ITV have teamed together to launch a free digital TV service called FreeSat, which will offer its programming in high-definition (HD) including Champions League, FA Cup and England internationals.

While the service will be available for free, a one-time fee of £200 will be required for equipment and installation. You will also need an HD TV.

The digital channel will be in direct competition to Sky, which offers HD programming with a subscription fee.

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Publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris founded the site in 2005. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who was born and raised in Wales, has lived in Florida since 1984, and supported Swansea City since 1979. Last but not least, he got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.

6 Comments

Good to see the UK joining the HD age. I’ve watched MLS this year in HD on Telefutura and it is amazing. It transforms the experience, and TF has better camera work than most soccer broadcasters which makes it even more enjoyable.

Davie, here is the channel page on the official freesat website. My guess would be that these channels will be the ones available initially. You’ll notice ITV HD is not listed. That has not been launched at this time, but it is planned to happen soon.

Actually, Sky’s free service has been around for a while now (though to be honest, they haven’t put much into it until, as you may guess, now). And the new BBC/ITV service, launched this week, is a little late to the table. According to Ofcom (Britain’s communications regulators), nearly 90% of British homes have already switched to a digital TV source of some sort (be it cable, freeview, or Sky). So, in that area, they are behind the curve.

However, what it does have is the HD programming. Sky’s Freesat doesn’t offer it (and from the looks of it, doesn’t plan to), Freeview is a year away from offering it, so that leaves paid Sky or Cable. Being the only free HD option, even if it’s only the two BBC and ITV channels, could certainly attract customers.

Another knock on Sky’s Freesat is that it offers none of it’s movie or sport services, and only one or two of Sky’s own channels. It does offer more channels overall right now, but if the plans pan out, the BBC/ITV version will be equal by the end of this year.

There’s one more thing the BBC service offers (though it’s coming later): with it’s broadband port, you’ll be able to hook an internet connection into it. That will allow you to access the Beeb’s iPlayer service and it’s 7 day replay archive to watch whenever. That could be huge.

We’ll see how it pans out. Freeview exploded out of the gate, so it can be good. Of course, ITV Digital absolutely collapsed, so it could be bad.